Robert ""Bob"" Leatherwood

Leatherwood, Robert ""Bob""

Bob Leatherwood, 78, passed away on Sept. 16, 2019 after a prolonged battle with COPD.

Bob was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico in 1941 to Keith and Irene Leatherwood. Along with his sister Kay, they moved to Denver, where he attended East High School and graduated in 1959.

A proud CU Buff, he met the love of his life, Teddy, in Boulder. They married in 1964 and soon moved to Denver, where Bob worked for a local CPA firm. In 1974, he joined Cherry Creek Schools and served as the Director of Fiscal Services for the next 29 years. He retired in 2003.

An avid table tennis player, Bob discovered his passion for the game in college and kept an active interest in the sport up until his death. For decades, Bob spent every Friday night and Sunday afternoon honing his ""TT"" skills at local clubs and hosting friends at his basement table. He and two friends, collectively known as ""The Three Amigos,"" traveled to Albuquerque and Las Vegas to compete in tournaments for almost 40 years.

He played tennis for many years at Eastmoor Swim & Tennis Club as part of the men's 4.0 team. He also liked playing mixed doubles with Teddy and friends on holidays, often bringing along a cooler of Michelob to enjoy after the matches.

Bob treasured his outdoor adventures. This included camping trips with Teddy, solo backpacking excursions in the Flat Tops Wilderness, and special time with each of his girls to introduce them to the endless wonders of the backcountry including: catching your own dinner, drying socks by the fire, and eating popcorn while scanning for shooting stars. His outdoor legacy lives on through Stacy's love for fishing and Kelly's weekly hikes.

He appreciated a good book, a bad pun, and a challenging word puzzle. He was a dedicated Colorado sports fan, sticking by the Broncos, Rockies, and Buffs even in the years it was ever-so-painful to do so.

Bob's four grandsons loved to eat breakfast with Papa in the mornings and play rounds of blackjack with him around the kitchen table in the evenings. As the boys grew and began playing their own sports, he and Teddy became their greatest fans. On Saturdays they traveled the metro area to catch as many games as possible.

The motto in his office, ""You get out of it what you put into it"" was always present in his life — from his commitment to become an Eagle Scout as a teenager to the loving care he put into every ridiculously rhyming poem he penned for his wife and daughters on special occasions.

Bob will be forever missed by his wife of 55 years, Teddy Leatherwood; daughters, Stacy Buchanan and Kelly Leatherwood (Scott Walsh); and grandsons, Zane, Tyler, Max, and Connor.

A celebration of his life will be held on Saturday, September 28^th at the family's home. Please contact Amy Crew at Horan & McConaty, 303-745-4418, for more information.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made in Bob's name to Volunteers for Outdoor Colorado at voc.org